April 5, 2011

How Long Before the Indy Cars Re-Add The Best ISC Tracks?

One former Indy Car track whose absence from the current schedule still seems almost unfathomable is the Joliet facility that was originally built by Tony George, Bill France and John Menard and several Chicago businessmen. Chicagoland regularly provided the best racing, the closest finishes and pretty good crowds every year.

The current political situation between ISC (owners of the track) and Indy Car put the wishes of Midwestern Indy Car fans on the back burner. There is, however, a glimmer of hope. A guy named Scott Paddock (great name) is the new president of the track, and he relayed to the Chicago Sun Times that the number one issue for fans he has heard about is the fact there are no longer Indy Car races.

NASCAR track owners, particularly those with two Cup dates, have seen attendance for those races sharply decline. Perhaps now such tracks will see the value of including Indy Cars and actually promoting them heavily.

Chicagoland back on the schedule would certainly be a welcome re-addition. It is my belief any point about trying to make it work in the future was effectively made by withdrawing from all the ISC tracks. Now we need to structure a situation that brings back the best ones. Indy Car is also attempting to improve the presentation before oval races, and that should help as well. It is nice having a guy in charge who wants to make ALL the events bigger than life.

The day Chicagoland goes back on the schedule is the day I try to get tickets for it.

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I think the way things went down at Richmond damaged the ISC and IICS relationship. Perhaps Scott Paddock can actually manage his track without ISC wanting to play charades with IndyCar. However, I put NASCAR and their family in the same group as ESPN, an effort to kill the open wheel brand, IndyCar.

ISC is reactive to any success IndyCar might enjoy, stealing thunder or silencing it. Today, seemingly a reaction to Simona, they have released a piece on the “the 10 women of NASCAR”.

My guess: ISC will have to be at death’s door to allow IndyCars on their track, desperate for money. It is my belief that NASCAR sold out to the point of no return which forces them, in a declining market, to badge any racing outside their circle as toxic, especially the IICS as it thrills people at Chicago.